ALEXANDRIA, VA—Joshua Brady, 28, of Petersburg, Virginia, was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday, accused of masquerading as a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer and using that role to recruit others to rob banks.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Earl C. Cook, Chief of Alexandria Police; Colonel David Rohrer, Fairfax County Chief of Police; and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the indictment was publicly filed today.

Brady was indicted on September 27, 2012, on one count of false impersonation of a government official and three counts of attempted bank robbery. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count, if convicted.

According to the indictment, Brady allegedly pretended to be an officer and employee of the CIA and solicited others to rob banks on behalf of the United States government. In June 2012, he is alleged to have directed the attempted robbery of a bank located in Fairfax County and two banks located in the city of Alexandria.

This case was investigated by Alexandria and Fairfax County Police Departments and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the FBI’s Richmond Field Office. Assistant United States Attorney Adam B. Schwartz is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.